Women's Soccer | 10/22/2026 3:00:00 PM

Jennies Soccer Alumni Night
Match 16: No. 19 Central Missouri (12-1-2, 7-0-2 MIAA) vs. No. 24 Washburn (12-1-2, 8-1-1 MIAA)
Friday, Oct. 23 | 6 p.m. | Warrensburg, Mo. (South Recreation Complex)
Radio: 98.5 The BAR FM (Greg Hassler, pxp; Jim Ricker color commentary)
Live Video (PPV) | Live Stats

Jennies Soccer Senior Day
Match 17: No. 19 Central Missouri (12-1-2, 7-0-2 MIAA) vs. No. 7 Pittsburg State (12-0-4, 6-0-4 MIAA)
Sunday, Oct. 25 | 1 p.m. | Warrensburg, Mo. (South Recreation Complex)
Radio: 1450 KOKO AM, 92.1 FM (Greg Hassler, pxp; Jim Ricker color commentary)
Live Video (PPV) | Live Stats

Buy Tickets | 2026 Jennies Soccer Roster | 2026 Washburn Roster | 2026 Pittsburg State Roster

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Scene Setter

• No. 19-ranked University of Central Missouri Jennies Soccer (12-1-2, 7-0-2 MIAA) is scheduled to host a pair of key MIAA matches to wrap up its 2026 home regular season schedule at the South Recreation Complex in Warrensburg, hosting the No. 24-ranked and MIAA-leading Washburn Ichabods (12-1-2, 8-1-1 MIAA) on Friday, Oct. 23, at 6 p.m. for Jennies Soccer Alumni Night before welcoming the No. 7-ranked Pittsburg State Gorillas (12-0-4, 6-0-4 MIAA) for Senior Day on Sunday, Oct. 25, at 1 p.m.
• Central Missouri is coming off a 2-0 week last week, shutting out Rogers State in Claremore, Okla., on Oct. 16, 3-0, before blanking Emporia State in Warrensburg on Oct. 18, 1-0. 
• Through 15 matches, the Jennies are paced offensively by sophomore midfielder Coryn Jespersen (4 G, 12 A, 20 Pts., 36 Shots, .111 shot percentage, 20 SOG, .556 SOG percentage, 3 game-winning goal) and senior forwards Mikayla Ernst (7 G, 14 Pts., 39 shots, .179 shot percentage, 24 SOG, .615 SOG percentage, 3 game-winning goals) and Hadley Lockhart (7 G, 14 Pts., 31 shots, .226 shot percentage, 18 SOG, .581 SOG percentage, 1 game-winning goal). Senior goalkeeper Kristen Wright (12-1-2, 4 GA, 0.28 goals-against average, 37 SV, .902 save percentage, 8 shutouts, 3 combined shutouts, 104 shots faced, 1,285:44 minutes) leads UCM between the posts.
• Through 13 matches, the Jennies are second in the MIAA in scoring with 37 goals and rank second in goals allowed, giving up just four goals on the season so far. Individually, Coryn Jespersen leads the MIAA and is fourth in NCAA Division II with 12 assists. She is third in the conference with 20 points and tied for third with three game-winning goals. Mikayla Ernst and Hadley Lockhart are tied for fourth in the MIAA with seven goals, while Ernst is tied for third with three game-winning goals. Kristen Wright is second in goals-against average at 0.28, shutouts per game (.533), and saves (.902 save percentage). 
• UCM was picked third in the 2026 MIAA Women's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll.  

Jespersen, Wright Nab MIAA Athlete of the Week Accolades

• University of Central Missouri Jennies soccer athletes Coryn Jespersen and Kristen Wright were named MIAA Athletes of the Week following their performances during the week of Oct. 12-18, the conference announced on Tuesday, October 20. Jespersen earned Offensive Athlete of the Week for the third time this season. Wright was named the Goalkeeper of the Week for the second time this season. 
• Jespersen helped grab a pair of conference wins with a 3-0 win at Rogers State and a 1-0 win over Emporia State on Sunday. The Olathe, Kan., native netted the game-winner at Rogers State to grab her fourth goal of the season. Her assist to Mikayla Ernst's game-winning goal against the Hornets, adding 12 assists to her 2026 season, and she is four assists from tying the UCM single-season record. 
• Kristen Wright earned her Goalkeeper of the Week honor with two shutouts against both Rogers State and Emporia. Wright recorded two saves at RSU on Friday and four saves on Sunday's victory for eight shutouts on the season. 

Previous MIAA Weekly Honors

• MIAA Offensive Athlete of the Week: Coryn Jespersen, Sept. 15, Sept. 29, Oct. 20; Mikayla Ernst, Oct. 6
• MIAA Goalkeeper of the Week: Kristen Wright, Sept. 1, Oct. 20

Record Watch

• Coryn Jespersen is already second in Jennies single-season history with her 12 assists this season. She is four assists shy of tying the program's single-season record of 16, set by Kassie Newsom in 2021. 
• Kristen Wright is third in career saves with 267 in 79 career contests. 

Last Time Out: JNo. 25 Jennies Blank Emporia State Sunday, 1-0

• Mikayla Ernst scored what proved to be the game-winning goal as the No. 25-ranked University of Central Missouri Jennies Soccer team shut out the Emporia State Hornets, 1-0, during the second-annual Socctober match, presented by Central Bank, on Sunday afternoon, Oct. 18, at the South Recreation Complex.
• UCM and ESU played to a 0-0 draw in the opening 45 minutes of the match before Ernst broke through in the 54th minute of the second half, netting her team-best seventh goal of the season on Coryn Jespersen's team and MIAA-best 12th assist of 2026, giving Central Missouri the 1-0 lead.
• The Jennies were able to keep the Hornets (7-4-4, 4-2-3 MIAA) off the scoreboard the final 36 minutes of the second half, sealing the shutout victory.
• UCM goalkeeper Kristen Wright (12-1-2) earned her eighth solo shutout of the season in goal after giving up zero goals while making four saves in 90 minutes.
• For the match, the Jennies and Hornets both took nine shots, with UCM posting a 6-4 advantage in shots on goal. UCM and ESU both took six corner kicks in the contest.

Home Sweet Home

• Dating back to the 2016 season, the Jennies are 97-9-4 at the South Recreation Complex. During that span, UCM has surrendered just 73 goals.
• All-time at the South Recreation Complex, UCM is 172-19-11 under head coach Lewis Theobald and 236-40-12 in overall program history. The Jennies have compiled undefeated home records five times.
• The 2026 season will mark a new era for Jennies Soccer at the South Recreation Complex, as UCM will play on a new, state-of-the-art turf playing surface that was installed during the summer of 2026. 

Series History

• Washburn:  UCM and Washburn will meet for the 36th time in the all-time series Friday evening in Warrensburg. UCM leads the series, 25-9-1. Last season, Central Missouri fell to Washburn in Topeka, Kan., 1-0. 
• Pittsburg State: This will be just the third meeting in women's soccer for UCM and Pittsburg State. The Gorillas are in their third season as a women's soccer program. The series is tied, 1-1, after Pitt State defeated UCM last season in Warrensburg, 1-0. 

New Faces for 2026

• The Jennies welcome seven newcomers in 2026, including one transfer and six high school freshmen.
• UCM's incoming transfer is sophomore midfielder Kylie Richardson (Emporia State transfer), while the incoming high school freshmen are goalkeeper Jamie Ricker, defenders Marley Ford, Annie Slamin, and Savanna Pittman, and forwards Habiba Lamrani and Allie Schroeder. 

Head Coach Lewis Theobald
Lewis Theobald, now in his 19th year, has transformed the Jennies Soccer program into one of the premier programs not only in the MIAA but also in NCAA Division II.

The 11-time MIAA and five-time region Coach of the Year has an impressive 331-58-33 record. He recorded more wins in his first three seasons than any other coach in school history and is the all-time winningest coach in both Jennies soccer and MIAA women's soccer history. He brought home the program's first-ever National Championship in the 2017 season.

Theobald enters the 2026 season as the winningest active coach in Division II women's soccer with an .822 winning percentage, among coaches with at least five years on the sidelines. He is also the all-time D-II leader among coaches with at least 10 years and is fifth all-time in all NCAA Divisions. 

During his tenure, Theobald has coached 23 All-Americans in Mikayla Ernst, Ashleigh Martin, Andree Orcutt, Lindsay Edmonds, Julia Kristensen, Kassie Newsom, Caroline Cole, Ana Dilkes, Emily Eldridge, Baylie Edwards, Randi Fernsler, Allysa Gann, Kayla Hamner, Julie Ireland, Becky Lackey, Cindy Lackey, Abby Rhodes, Alyssa Rhodes, Jada Scott, Carly Stanley, Jenna Stones, Makayla Toth and Megan Woolley and has led 63 players to All-Region status. He also coached Dilkes, a goalkeeper, to a National Player of the Year honor during the 2017 season.

He has coached 148 All-Conference players, including Most Valuable Players Melanie Hall, Kayla Shain and two-time Player of the Year Alyssa Rhodes; Offensive Players of the Years Carly Stanley, Julie Ireland, Jada Scott, Kassie Newsom and Julia Kristensen; Freshmen of the Year Alyssa Rhodes, Stanley, Hannah Pyle, Alexis Robbers, Nicki Wisnasky, Caroline Cole, Julia Kristensen and Izzy Joyce; Defenders of the Year, Emily Eldridge, Allysa Gann, Cindy Lackey and Abby Rhodes; two-time Goalkeeper of the Year Lindsey Johnson and four-time Goalkeeper of the Year Ana Dilkes.

A 1999 graduate of the University of Kansas, Theobald received his bachelor's degree in education with a concentration in physical education.

On the Horizon
The Jennies wrap up their 2026 regular season with a MIAA road match at Missouri Southern on Wednesday, Oct. 28, at 7:30 p.m. in Joplin, Mo.